Utah

Today I rode 100 miles in 6 hours 23 minutes. I got up around 5:00 am and was on the bike a little before 6:00. I knew it was going to be a long hot ride, and I wanted to make the most of the cool morning hours. I will definitely be riding earlier from now on. The air was cool in the morning and very still. It was great to be out on the road while the sun was rising, and it was almost an hour before a single car passed me. I got to my destination (Delta, Utah) just after 12:00 noon. The ride featured a long climb up sloping desert plateaus, a fun dowhill through a rocky canyon landscape, and then a good 60 miles of straight road vanishing to the horizon past a large salt flat and through a gigantic basin. There was absolutely nothing inbetween baker and hinckley (the tiny encampment 6 miles before Delta)



Greg took this photo of the bike belonging to the woman who was cleaning the rooms at the Silver Jack Inn this morning. It's an "Extra-bike"!



Taking a short-cut back to the 50.



Riding into the morning sun.



A lonely windmill.. Is it pumping water?



I have a feeling there will be lots of this today.



Looking back at Wheeler Peak.



We've now crossed over into Utah (and the mountain time zone) and I can already see a different kind of otherworldly rock formations.



Reaching the top of a series of hills taking me over the edge of this big basin I've just crossed.



After zipping down a fun 8 mile dowhill canyon, this giant mountain is revealed.



More interesting landscape.



Passing a big salt flat.



This straight-away went on forever. This desert is now starting to resemble what I thought Nevada might be like. Cow skulls, hollowed out horse carcasses. Todays road-kill was pretty astounding. There was a fresh hawk (never seen one up so close) and, get this, a BABY FOX.



All this sign was missing was a big vulture sitting on top.



After what seemed an endless series of featureless miles, I reached Hinckley.



They're growing things out here. An irrigation ditch with sluice gates.



Funny signage: "See Utah's Newest Museum"



Greg and Boo arrived in town in the van just after I did. It's sunday and everything is closed in mormon country. We ate at a diner, where I got this salad. Oxidized iceburg with freezer-burn. Never have I eaten a salad this bad with such gusto. A rootbeer float and a club sandwich (made with Miracle Whip of course) were the perfect chaser.



Boo dips a french fry in her chocolate malt. I'd never tried this before, it's pretty good.